Many partially-sighted and blind persons use a straight-handled cane in a searching mode to detect hazardous obstacles in their path. These canes are frequently painted white or covered with a white reflective tape. The color warns others of the user's condition and enhances the visibility of the user. This type of cane has come to be known generically as “the white cane,” or “the long cane.” When in use, the cane handle is held like the railing of a down-staircase. While the user walks forward, the lower end of the cane rests on the ground and is swung left and right in a searching mode. Some users with sensitive ears intersperse the arc motion with a bouncing of the tip to create impulsive tapping sounds that produce echoes that can give information about the immediate environment.
One of the early improvements was to make the cane's contact surface out of a material that would minimize the friction between the ground and the cane end. A further improvement came with the replacement of the fixed tip by a spherical or cylindrical rotating tip. In common parlance these new tips are called “rolling” tips, and it must be understood that they do not roll in the forward direction but only left and right. The movement of the roller is like that of a barrel being moved by rolling it on its bottom edge. When used in its search mode, the resistance to forward motion of the cane is determined mainly by the frictional characteristics of the material of which the tip is constructed. The rolling friction of the roller is negligible. With these improvements, the white cane has been used unchanged in basic design for many years.
Paradoxically, those characteristics that have added to the white cane's ease of use come with perils, especially for those individuals who occasionally inadvertently try to use the cane for support. The white cane has such low friction with a flat surface that it affords no purchase at all. In short, white canes cannot be used as a prop or buttress against fall due to momentary imbalance. However, there are many instances when a user might welcome that capability. Some examples are: tripping, losing balance in a lurching train or bus, rising from a seat, managing an excessively steep incline, and exiting from a vehicle. The need for stable behavior at various times from the white cane is especially critical for our aging population. The use of a second cane for support requires the user to carry two canes, which is tiring, and limits mobility in other ways by occupying the user's hands.
Therefore, there remains a need for a white cane suitable for both searching and support as needed. The Dual-Mode Cane satisfies this need.